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The next generation Internet will deliver business connectivity at tens of Gbps as well as broadcast-quality video on demand — just some of the benefits promised by Carrier Ethernet, announced today by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), a global industry alliance of approximately 70 organizations including telecommunications service providers, network equipment/software manufacturers, semiconductors vendors and testing organizations.
Carrier Ethernet, defining native Ethernet packet access to the Internet as well as increasing penetration of wireless networks, is designed to presnet a direct challenge to the traditional SONET telephony infrastructure and promises Wide Area networking scalable beyond 10Gbps using ubiquitous Ethernet technology.
"When the MEF began our challenge was to release Ethernet from the confines of the local area network" said Nan Chen, president of the MEF. "Our focus on the metropolitan network has been so successful that people no longer think in terms of Ethernet's limitations, instead they ask us 'what will it do next?'. Now Carrier Ethernet is our answer — in response to overwhelming demand for the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of Ethernet services across the WAN. According to the latest Infonetics study announced today, the Carrier Ethernet market should exceed $2.7 billion in equipment revenues alone by 2008. In addition IDC predicts Ethernet based service revenues will exceed $19 billion by 2007."
Indeed, last year alone, according to IDC, over 200 million Ethernet switch ports were shipped worldwide - totaling three billion ports in the thirty-one years since Ethernet was conceived by Bob Metcalfe at Xerox PARC, as a simple way to network computers via a standard interface. Such has been its success, that George Bush awarded Bob a National Medal of Technology in a ceremony at the White House last month.
According to Bob Metcalfe, now Advisory Director, the MEF: "I see Ethernet developing in four directions: up, down, over and across. Up in speed — whether we jump to 40Gbps or 100Gbps is more to do with the decision balance between telephone and computer companies than any limit to the technology. Telephone generations are traditionally four times faster while computer generations go up in tens. Ethernet is moving down to the 8 billion processors shipped each year that are not yet networked. It's increasingly moving over wireless links — WiFi, WiMax, ZigBee and others — which is ironic as it was derived from the 1970 Alohanet packet radio network. And now it's moving even further ACROSS the telechasm between LANs and WANs with the development of Carrier Ethernet. It marks the end of outmoded SONET and T-1 technologies as businesses will be able to buy cheaper bandwidth at higher speeds v- with the advantage of a 'granular' pricing structure that allows selection of just the bandwidth needed while paying for no more than what you really require."
"The positive benefits will include a next generation Internet capable of delivering TV-on-demand to the home — or to a wireless handheld for that matter — and the sort of 'telepresence' business conferencing that was dreamed of in the mid 90s but never really emerged to challenge face-to-face meetings," Chen said. "All this and more through the ubiquitous, cost-effective and trusted Ethernet technology. They say we are moving towards a common world language and I'm inclined to agree. But it won't be English, Spanish or even Chinese — it will be Ethernet!"
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